Chapters 16 and 17 Summary

"The Cook's Tale". Mma Ramotswe thinks about the properties of the various plants and herbs growing wild in Botswana, and wonders whether one of them could have been put in the food. Eventually, she realizes that it's time for dinner, even though she doesn't feel at all like eating. As she prepares to go down, she makes sure to check her shoes for scorpions, having had a bad experience with a scorpion as a girl and reflecting on how people have to be careful about those who, like scorpions, hide and secretly sting. After finding a scorpion in one of her shoes and shaking it out, Mma Ramotswe heads downstairs but is stopped by the maid, who says everyone in the family has been sick. Mma Ramotswe suggests that they be allowed to rest for the evening. The maid agrees, and...